The USS Kittyhawk
Our visit to the USS Kittyhawk took place in July of 2007, while the aircraft carrier was in Sydney following a joint US-Australia exercise. The carrier was docked at the Garden Island Naval facility; 206 ACU held the honour of being the only army cadet unit to be given a tour of the vessel.
On board, displays included the colourful regalia of the below-deck aircraft, as well as a trip around the flight deck. Below deck, we got to stroll around tight corridors and numerous low-hanging head-banging hazards; above deck, the picturesque views of Sydney Harbour from the Kittyhawk made for fantastic photo opportunities! We stood around the flight deck's steam catapult, an outdated mechanism which was still used on the Kittyhawk, to add extra speed to aircraft taking off. We were lectured by our two guides - sailors aboard the Kittyhawk - about the locationing system on board - every corridor had a serial number denoting its position of the ship (of course I can't remember it now); at the souvenir shop, many made away with official USS Kittyhawk Zippos and headwear. The Kittyhawk, we were told, was the last remaining diesel-driven carrier in the fleet; however, it was soon to be decommissioned on returning the the US (as the oldest vessel in the fleet it flew the First US Navy Jack).
The visit was a fantastic day, one which I will remmber for a long time; sadly, the opportunity to visit may not arise again for a long time. A pity I didn't think of getting a souvenir.
Reporting by CDTSGT Yeung
